The Worst of Road Signs

[agentsteel53]

here is a sign setup which is the worst not from an aesthetic perspective, but because, due to its small size, it fails to convey a message sufficiently in advance.

http://goo.gl/maps/sTxlj

this is Stockdale Highway at Jenkins Road in Bakersfield, CA.  I have placed the google street view where the left turn lane separates, via a striped island, from the mainlines.  where is the sign for the intersecting road?  it is the exceedingly tiny green sign on the traffic signal gantry!

to be able to read that in time to make the decision to turn left in a legal manner would require something like 20/4 vision.  it is especially unfortunate that an upcoming road about a mile away - Jewetta Ave - has a very similar name, so even if you manage to eke out "seven letters, starts with what looks like a J", you may get it wrong.

what this junction needs is an advance guide sign - likely in the median as is California standard.  I'm not sure why this intersection lacks it.

[Zeffy]

I-15 shield Fail in Lethbridge, Alberta
https://maps.google.com/maps?vpsrc=6&ie=UTF8&t=m&layer=c&cbll=49.670108,-112.798396&panoid=SVBzFf0_1KLC1DISc8JR2w&cbp=11,224.25,,3,-1.09&ll=49.671627,-112.71286&spn=0.15242,0.617294&z=11

Huh, looks like they mixed up which colors go where.

[corco]

can someone get us a good photo of that by any chance?  corco?

Corc-onit. I'll be up that way in August.

[PHLBOS]

IMHO, that should be posted in the Erroneous Road Signs thread.

Comment moved to Signs With Design Errors thread.

[vtk]

I-15 shield Fail in Lethbridge, Alberta
https://maps.google.com/maps?vpsrc=6&ie=UTF8&t=m&layer=c&cbll=49.670108,-112.798396&panoid=SVBzFf0_1KLC1DISc8JR2w&cbp=11,224.25,,3,-1.09&ll=49.671627,-112.71286&spn=0.15242,0.617294&z=11

Huh, looks like they mixed up which colors go where.

IMHO, that should be posted in the Erroneous Road Signs thread.

No, that should be Signs With Design Errors, unless the sign actually gives incorrect information.

[kphoger]

How not to do Clearview:

And.... businesses really need to use more legible logos on these signs.  The panda one and the yellow would be pretty illegible while driving down the highway (in fact, I have no idea what business the yellow one represents).

[agentsteel53]

looks to be "doc popcorn".  a google search confirms it.  I had never heard of them before, but apparently they're around in Socal.

[PHLBOS]

looks to be "doc popcorn".  a google search confirms it.  I had never heard of them before, but apparently they're around in Socal.

There's also one of those (doc popcorn) at 30th Station in Philadelphia.

[_Simon]

So I'm driving home..


wait.. what was that?   
(pardon my dirty windshield)

Yes, that has to be the worst attempt ever at a 10'0" clearance sign.  It looks more like it says 10 degrees and god only what happened to the arrows.  The ' symbol is a dot and the " symbol is a diaeresis symbol.

[1995hoo]

Seen yesterday on I-395 entering DC. Not only did they not just repair the sign, they used greenout to put the missing words back on. Ugh.

[codyg1985]

here is a sign setup which is the worst not from an aesthetic perspective, but because, due to its small size, it fails to convey a message sufficiently in advance.

http://goo.gl/maps/sTxlj

this is Stockdale Highway at Jenkins Road in Bakersfield, CA.  I have placed the google street view where the left turn lane separates, via a striped island, from the mainlines.  where is the sign for the intersecting road?  it is the exceedingly tiny green sign on the traffic signal gantry!

to be able to read that in time to make the decision to turn left in a legal manner would require something like 20/4 vision.  it is especially unfortunate that an upcoming road about a mile away - Jewetta Ave - has a very similar name, so even if you manage to eke out "seven letters, starts with what looks like a J", you may get it wrong.

what this junction needs is an advance guide sign - likely in the median as is California standard.  I'm not sure why this intersection lacks it.

Advance street name signage is the exception instead of the norm in Alabama, unfortunately. At least there the sign has proper spacing and is mixed case.

[xcellntbuy]

Love that avatar!

[silverback1065]

So I'm driving home..


wait.. what was that?   
(pardon my dirty windshield)

Yes, that has to be the worst attempt ever at a 10'0" clearance sign.  It looks more like it says 10 degrees and god only what happened to the arrows.  The ' symbol is a dot and the " symbol is a diaeresis symbol.

that has to be the worst sign I've ever seen

[doorknob60]

So I'm driving home..


wait.. what was that?   
(pardon my dirty windshield)

Yes, that has to be the worst attempt ever at a 10'0" clearance sign.  It looks more like it says 10 degrees and god only what happened to the arrows.  The ' symbol is a dot and the " symbol is a diaeresis symbol.

that has to be the worst sign I've ever seen

Yeah seriously. If I wasn't familiar with the area, I would have no idea what the sign was trying to say at first glance. If I was driving a tall vehicle, that could be problematic. That needs to be replaced before something bad happens.

[TEG24601]

I'm torn as to whether this belongs as one of the Worst Signs, or Unique.  I will let you decide.

A little background first.  In the state of Washington, there is a little known entry in the Revised Code of Washington that states that cities with populations over 1000 may receive state routes.  My hometown surpassed 1000 in the 2000 census, and the Mayor began to pressure the state to add a route of some sort to direct traffic to the city, mainly because the city survives on tourism, and the existing signs along SR-525 were vague and confusing for the tourists.  A compromise was bartered, where the state would sponsor a loop to the city, that was to be maintained entirely by the city and county (as most counties don't have their own highways), call the Langley Loop.  The results were the bastardized signs you see below.





Now for some context:




As you can see, most of the signs are too small to really be of any use, the arrows are built into the signs, instead of using standard control arrows, which make them hard to read, and they are often place in odd positions, like the 1st one is just as the road curves to the left, and the arrow is for the forthcoming intersection, but there is no indicator as to the direction the route travels when you are at the intersection.  The lack of signs at the Intersections cause a lot of issues, because the one that I'm describing it a 4-way stop, where the route turns in the intersection, and one direction feeds a parking lot.  You would not believe how many times I'm stopped in the summer by people looking for the way to get out of town.

In the 80's it was so bad, they added theses signs;


Which are nearly illegible at 25 MPH, and are past the intersection described above.

While I applaud the efforts of our government, and the compromises raised to save money, this is ridiculous, and not all that helpful in the long run.

[formulanone]

I've always hated the term "tourist activities". What if a local wants to partake in them, too?

[TEG24601]

I've always hated the term "tourist activities". What if a local wants to partake in them, too?

Not Sarcasm: If you are local, most shopkeepers won't even acknowledge your existence.  They are open weird hours (like 11-3, alternating days, and 10-4 others, and whenever else we want to be), and blame the city for them losing money not getting their expected incomes.

[Pete from Boston]

Seen yesterday on I-395 entering DC. Not only did they not just repair the sign, they used greenout to put the missing words back on. Ugh.

"Nationals Park" will forever look like a typo to me.

[dfnva]

Sorry for the picture quality. It was nighttime and had been raining.

I saw this trailblazer monstrosity tonight leaving the Vienna Metro Station in Fairfax, VA to turn onto VA-243/Nutley St. I'm not sure what's worse... (1) the clearview numbers on the shield, (2) the ugly looking arrow sign, or (3) the lack of need for the sign as there is an appropriate looking trailblazer stating the same thing just a few feet away. 

The new side-mounted doghouse signal is an added thorn in the side here (I think any side-mounted or pedestal-mounted doghouse looks awkward -- just use a 5-light tower -- plus it's a McCain -- ugh), though VDOT gets the benefit of the doubt because they actually have a rare redundant signal here.

-Dan

[Zeffy]

Ew. This is why I hate Clearview. At some points Arialveticatesk (or whatever that is) starts to look better then it.

[Billy F 1988]

Ew. This is why I hate Clearview. At some points Arialveticatesk (or whatever that is) starts to look better then it.

I think Clearview should be reserved for print media (like newspapers, or newsletters and such) and not road signage. This Interstate 66 shield in that font definitely would be slapped with a violation of MUTCD specifications.

[ctsignguy]

Ew. This is why I hate Clearview. At some points Arialveticatesk (or whatever that is) starts to look better then it.

I think Clearview should be reserved for print media (like newspapers, or newsletters and such) and not road signage. This Interstate 66 shield in that font definitely would be slapped with a violation of MUTCD specifications.

That I-66 sign should be slapped anyway.......it certainly got slapped around by an ugly stick.....

[Billy F 1988]

Where's the Kill It With Fire meme for this sign?

[NE2]

Where's the Kill It With Fire meme for this sign?

Someone killed it with fire for overuse.

[Billy F 1988]

Darn! Well, I guess we'll just have to...let the goats loose and thrust this gawdy I-66 sign into the pits of...Alanland. I don't know, think of something to get rid this monstrosity!